


A Warlock Revealed

by petrichor_rain



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Dragons, F/M, Magic Revealed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-31
Updated: 2013-12-31
Packaged: 2018-01-06 22:20:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1112190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petrichor_rain/pseuds/petrichor_rain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What will Arthur's response be when he discovers Merlin's magic?</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Warlock Revealed

**Author's Note:**

> This is set somewhere in season five, when Arthur is king but doesn't yet know about Merlin's magic. Comments and reviews are welcome! I'm just putting this story out there to see what the response is. I always wanted Arthur discovering Merlin had magic to be bigger than how they did it on the show, so this is me fulfilling my private fantasy :) This is not beta'd, so all mistakes are my own. All characters and places belong to BBC, I do not own any of them.

Arthur groaned inwardly as he glanced back at his bumbling servant. It wasn’t often he brought Merlin on patrol with him, and he was regretting it now. He winced as Merlin stepped on yet another twig, the crack echoing through the quiet forest.  
“Merlin, could you possibly go for five minutes without making any noise or messing something up?!” Arthur shouted, his growing headache getting the better of him. Merlin looked up at his king, hurt evident in his eyes.  
“Yes sire,” Merlin said, furiously blinking away the water that had suddenly appeared in his eyes. Sighing, Arthur focused into the gloom ahead, alert for any evidence that would suggest the presence of bandits. The patrol was dangerously close to the border between Cenrad’s kingdom and his own, and although the two were currently at peace, their patrol would certainly not be welcome. Hearing the clop clop of hooves, Arthur turned in the saddle to see Gwaine riding up behind him.  
“We haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary or suspicious sire. Perhaps it is time to turn back to Camelot,” Gwaine suggested.  
Arthur nodded wearily. “You’re right Gwaine. I’m sure we’re all wet and tired.” It had been drizzling lightly all day, and the knights were soaked to the bone. 

Turning his horse around, Arthur motioned for the rest of the patrol to follow him back to Camelot. Suddenly, a giant ball of flame crashed into a stand of trees a hundred yards from the group of knights. Whinnying in fear, the horses bucked and reared, the knights desperately trying to rein them in.  
Merlin pulled fiercely at his horse's bridle in an attempt to calm the skittish animal. Recognizing that the fireball could only have come from a dragon, Merlin searched the gray sky above, a misty rain continuing to fall. 

Failing to find any immediate presence of the dragon, he at once glanced to Arthur to make sure the young king was safe. Satisfied that Arthur was unhurt, Merlin once again scanned the sky to find the dragon. But no giant scaly flying lizard appeared from behind the rain clouds. Puzzled, Merlin stared at the smoking trunks of the scorched trees, their leaves burnt off by the fiery blast. There was no way that wasn’t a dragon. No way. Merlin suddenly felt a strong hand knock him lightly on the back of his head.  
“Stop dreaming Merlin, we’re heading back. The rain will put out the fire soon enough.” Arthur said lightly. “But what caused the fire?” Merlin asked. Arthur shrugged. “It was probably the ashes of a campsite a traveler forgot to put out. Nothing to worry about. As long as they don’t mean any harm towards Camelot.” Arthur replied. Merlin nodded his agreement absentmindedly, still worried about the presence of the dragon. “Let us hope they don’t mean harm.” Merlin said. Arthur nodded and rode up to the head of the patrol, leaving Merlin to lag behind, still deep in thought. 

When they arrived back at the castle, Merlin served Arthur dinner and left for his own rooms, a basketful of Arthur’s dirty clothing in tow. Entering Gaius’s workroom, he sighed heavily, still worried about the potential threat from the mysterious dragon.  
“Merlin, is something the matter? You sound worried.” Gaius laid a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder. Startled, Merlin let out a yelp. “I’m sorry Gaius, I didn’t see you there. I guess I was just thinking.” Merlin apologized. Gaius chuckled, “Well that will be a first. Now tell me what’s the matter.” Merlin proceeded to relate the day’s events, concluding with the nonchalant way Arthur dismissed the incident. “Why can’t he see that it was a dragon?” Merlin said angrily. “Sometimes he is so blind!”  
“Merlin, not everyone is as experienced with dragons as you are. That’s why you must help Arthur recognize the things he cannot see for himself.” Gaius said. “You are right as always Gaius. I will go speak with Arthur right now. Thanks for the advice.” Merlin said gratefully. “Ah, Merlin, it’s a bit late to be visiting the king. Perhaps you better wait till morning.” Gaius said. Merlin nodded in agreement and made his way sleepily towards his room. “Goodnight Gaius.” “Goodnight Merlin.” Gaius looked fondly at the young warlock’s retreating back, then went off towards his own bed with a yawn. 

Outside the castle, a dragon’s golden eyes glowed in the darkness, waiting. 

Merlin sat up with a jerk, unsure of what awakened him. A ghost of a whisper breathed through his mind, touching his ears and then- gone. The sensation was a familiar one, and he sighed heavily as he pulled a pair of trousers over his nightshirt. Making his way past a snoring Gaius and out of Camelot, he headed toward the moonlit clearing where the dragon was waiting for him. “Hello, young warlock,” the dragon rumbled. “It has been too long since we conversed.” Merlin shivered in the cool night air, shifting impatiently from foot to foot. “What do you want this time, Kilgharrah?” 

The dragon snorted. “It is not what I want, but what you want. The future of Albion is at stake, and the Once-and-Future-King will need your help if the kingdom is to be protected.”  
Merlin groaned inwardly and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “I know this. You have told me many times.”  
Kilgharrah shook his head angrily, a puff of smoke rising from a nostril. “You misunderstand me, young warlock. Arthur will need the help of a powerful sorcerer, not a manservant. You must tell him of your powers so that Albion will be protected.”  
Merlin folded his arms. “He would kill me. You know that I cannot tell Arthur who I am. I must do what I can with my magic, when I can. I cannot protect Albion if I am dead.”  
The dragon leaned his head nearer to Merlin’s and stared into the warlock’s eyes. “You underestimate the bond between you and the king. You are different sides of the same coin, fated to bring about Albion’s golden age. Tell him of your powers, or Camelot will fall.” With that, Kilgharrah rose into the sky, the wind from his wings almost blowing Merlin over. Shaking his head, Merlin watched the great dragon fly away. Then he turned to head back to his bed to salvage what little sleep he could from the rest of the night, knowing that it would be a long, grueling day when the sun rose. A manservant's job is never done, he thought to himself. 

All too soon, a new day was dawning and the sound of Arthur yelling furiously roused Merlin from his slumber. “Where is that useless servant of mine?” Arthur stormed into Merlin’s room, glaring with icy blue eyes at a sleep doused Merlin. “I’m sorry sire, I must have overslept. It won’t happen again.” Merlin said weakly. Arthur turned and left the room, muttering under his breath about how lazy stupid useless Merlin was. For a second Merlin was tempted to follow Kilgharrah’s advice and show Arthur just how “useless” he was, but then immediately rejected the idea, laughing at himself. 

The very best scenario, Merlin reflected, would be that Arthur would banish him forever. No, he decided, his magic would remain a well-kept secret, as it had for the several years he and Arthur had been friends. For that’s what they were- friends. Despite titles and the difference in class (Arthur was, after all, a king; and Merlin was a servant from a peasant village) they were friends. But friends don’t keep secrets from each other, and especially not secrets of the magnitude Merlin was keeping. Even if Arthur accepted his magic and allowed him to stay in Camelot, he would never trust him. Every day he would have to look in his king’s eyes and see the hurt and betrayal, and maybe even anger. And that was something Merlin wouldn’t be able to take. Gwaine, Arthur, Guinevere.... all his friends would hate him, and possibly even fear him. Merlin didn’t want to live like that, ever. Dragging himself from his thoughts, he rushed to Arthur’s chambers to assist the King of Camelot in preparing for his day.  
“You have a council meeting, then a training session, then you have to greet an embassy from Nemeth wanting to discuss the peace treaty, then a group of villagers from Othanden wanting to talk about a crop problem, and finally you promised to have dinner with Gwen.” Merlin finished, glancing up to see Arthur flop into his chair, throwing a hand across his brow in mock anguish. “A busy day, as usual Merlin. Oh to be a king....” Arthur moaned in despair. Merlin laughed inwardly at his friend’s consternation. Clapping Arthur roughly on the shoulder, Merlin grinned encouragingly. “Come on Arthur, up and at ‘em. Gotta get to work.”  
Arthur glared at Merlin with a gaze that sent shivers down Merlin’s spine. He quickly bowed low. “My liege,” as soon as he uttered the words, Merlin found himself on the ground, Arthur having shoved him down. “That’ll teach you to disrespect your king, Merlin,” Arthur laughed, getting up from the chair. Merlin stuck his foot out and Arthur tripped, tumbling down on top of Merlin. The young men wrestled around together on the floor, laughing and momentarily forgetting the burden they carried; the fate of a kingdom.


End file.
